THE snowdrops and the crocuses
Bloomed in the olden way ;
The stately tulips followed on--
The pansies had their day ;
The roses came--and yet the year
Brought neither June nor May.

And now the tiger lilies lift
Their freckled faces high ;
And now the sun is blazing down
From out a cloudless sky.
And yet it is not Summer time,
Though Summer days drag by.
His dog looks up the lonely lane-- He knows the reason why.